SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Sen. Mike Rounds rolled back the years when talking about the impeachment process in an appearance on the Greg Belfrage Show Thursday.
Rounds said the constitution’s framers had the right idea when choosing the Senate to serve as the jury in impeachment proceedings.
“They looked at who should be the adult in the room,” Rounds said. “They made it very clear that they wanted the Senate to act as jurors, but jurors who understood that this was a political process.”
The U.S. House voted to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday night. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will delay sending the articles to the Senate, which Rounds chuckled at.
Rounds also touched on the importance of confirming federal judges. President Trump has appointed over 150 federal judges during his tenure.
“Part of the legacy that we want to leave is a conservative federal bench,” Rounds said. “That means not only for the near term. Most of these individuals are under the age of 50.”
Many of those positions were vacant when Trump took office after Senate Republicans blocked Obama nominees.
When the conversation turned to health care, Rounds pointed out a controversial part of the Affordable Care Act he and his Senate colleagues are poised to repeal.
It’s been called the Cadillac tax, a penalty on the most generous health plans employers offer. It’s slated to go into effect this year, but Congress has pushed back its start date twice. The House overwhelmingly voted to repeal it in July.
“What we said was ‘Let’s knock that off; let’s not do that anymore,’” Rounds said.
Rounds said he’d like to see the Affordable Care Act be taken apart piece by piece to give lawmakers a “clean slate.”
Rounds closed the interview with a message for South Dakotans as the holidays approach.
“If you know someone who has a family member who is in the armed services and won’t have them home, let them know that you appreciate their sacrifice and the service of their loved one,” Rounds said.
